The 2025 legislative session in Sacramento is in full swing, with numerous proposals under consideration that could significantly impact the business climate across California. The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce is closely tracking legislation that may affect our members and the broader business community. Below is an overview of key bills we are watching this month as they advance through the State Capitol.

AB 446 (Ward, D) Surveillance pricing.

Status: 03/28/2025 – In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

Location: 03/18/2025 – Assembly Judiciary

Summary: – Prohibits businesses from using surveillance data to alter pricing without explicit consumer consent.

Requires transparency and limits discriminatory pricing practices.
Includes civil penalties for violations.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

CP-3 (Consumer Privacy) – Support legislation that protects consumer data while balancing the ability for businesses to use data to improve services and customer experience.

AB 580 (Wallis, R) Surface mining: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Status: 03/27/2025 – Re-referred to Com. on W. P., & W.

Location: 03/24/2025 – Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife

Summary: – Extends Metropolitan Water District’s master reclamation plan from 2026 to 2051.

Maintains centralized authority for reclamation efforts across six counties.
Facilitates continued access to construction materials for water infrastructure.

Position Request:

SUPPORT

Platform Citation:

I-3 (Infrastructure) – Supports investment strategies based on sound science and public policy criteria that direct resources into the most needed regional and local infrastructure categories and leverage State and federal dollars, maximizing the return on existing infrastructure investments.

AB 726 (Ávila Farías, D) Planning and zoning: annual report: rehabilitated units.

Status: 04/10/2025 – From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

Location: 04/09/2025 – Assembly Appropriations

Summary: – Allows cities and counties to count older, deed-restricted affordable housing units that have been substantially rehabbed in their annual housing report.

Rehabbed units must be at least 15 years old and receive at least $60,000 in local funding per unit.
These units help demonstrate local investment in preserving affordable housing stock.
However, the bill ensures these units do not count toward affordability metrics for streamlined housing approvals.
Helps promote housing preservation while maintaining the integrity of new housing development goals.

Position Request:

SUPPORT

Platform Citation:

HL-1 (Housing and Land Use) – Support incentives to local governments to encourage overall increases to the housing supply, housing affordability, and choices of home types for a variety of families and workers.

AB 735 (Carrillo, D) Planning and zoning: logistics use: truck routes.

Status: 03/27/2025 – Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

Location: 03/10/2025 – Assembly Local Government

Summary: – Mandates stricter design, emissions, and operational standards for logistics developments.

Enhances environmental and health protections for adjacent communities.
Requires cities/counties to integrate these standards into planning.

Platform Citation:

I-3 (Infrastructure) – Supports investment strategies based on sound science and public policy criteria that direct resources into the most needed regional and local infrastructure categories and leverage State and federal dollars, maximizing the return on existing infrastructure investments.

SB 415 (Reyes, D) Planning and zoning: logistics use: truck routes.

Status: 04/08/2025 – Set for hearing April 30.

Location: 04/02/2025 – Senate Local Government

Summary: – Requires developers of large warehouse and industrial projects to evaluate and disclose air pollution impacts—especially those from truck traffic and equipment—during environmental review.

Strengthens the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by mandating analysis of indirect emissions, such as diesel truck exhaust associated with the project.
Applies specifically to projects near sensitive land uses, including homes, schools, parks, and hospitals. – Mandates that local governments consider air pollution impacts and mitigation measures before approving logistics-related developments.
Aims to reduce health risks in frontline communities, particularly those overburdened by logistics industry pollution.
Supports greater transparency and environmental justice in land use planning decisions.
Ensures that emissions assessments are integrated into general plan and zoning updates related to freight and warehouse projects.

Platform Citation:

TR-3 (Transportation) – Support policies that ensure efficient goods movement while minimizing negative impacts on local communities.

AB 858 (Lee, D) Employment: rehiring and retention: displaced workers: natural disasters.

Status: 04/08/2025 – Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

Location: 03/03/2025 – Assembly Labor and Employment

Summary: – Extends COVID-19-era retention rules to workers laid off due to declared disasters.

Applies to key industries such as hospitality and airport services.
Mandates written rehire offers and includes civil enforcement provisions.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

WD-1 (Workforce Development and Education) – Partner with local government, school systems and organizations like One Future to conduct an annual assessment on worker shortages and industry growth patterns in Riverside County.

AB 1234 (Ortega, D) Employment: nonpayment of wages: complaints.

Status: 04/03/2025 – From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

Location: 04/03/2025 – Assembly Judiciary

Summary: – Strengthens protections for workers filing wage theft claims.

Grants Labor Commissioner additional authority to enforce nonpayment violations.
Includes provisions for penalties and employer accountability.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

ER-2 (Employee/Employer Relations) – Supports efforts to keep California from further exceeding federal laws for Exempt and non-exempt classifications, FMLA, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) discrimination (e.g., age discrimination, sexual harassment, etc).

AB 1331 (Elhawary, D) Workplace surveillance.

Status: 04/10/2025 – From committee chair, with author’s amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.

Location: 04/03/2025 – Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection

Summary: – Prohibits off-duty or private surveillance of workers by employers.

Restricts surveillance during rest/breaks and prohibits subcutaneous tracking.
Establishes civil penalties and a private right of action.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

ER-8 (Employee/Employer Relations) – Supports a better balance between employee privacy and business responsibility, including limits on business liability where privacy legislation precludes employers from asking or securing employee information.

AB 1429 (Bains, D) Behavioral health reimbursement.

Status: 04/03/2025 – Re-referred to Com. on Health.

Location: 03/13/2025 – Assembly Health

Summary: – Requires Kaiser to reimburse enrollees for out-of-pocket behavioral health care expenses from non – Kaiser providers/pharmacies dating back to May 1, 2022.

Reimbursement includes copays, deductibles, transport, telehealth, and prescriptions. – Penalties for non-reimbursement include: -10% annual interest on the unpaid amount.
$5,000 per incident fine.
Kaiser must submit monthly reports to the Department of Managed Health Care until compliance is certified.
Designed as a special statute in response to enforcement actions against Kaiser for inadequate mental health services.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

HC-17: Oppose unreasonable mandates upon employers to procure health care coverage for employees.

SB 7 (McNerney, D) Employment: automated decision systems.

Status: 04/10/2025 – Set for hearing April 29.

Location: 04/09/2025 – Senate Judiciary

Summary: – Regulates the use of AI-based ADS in employment decisions.

Requires notice to workers, data access, correction rights, and a right to appeal decisions.
Restricts ADS from being used for behavior prediction or discrimination.
Establishes penalties and private right of action.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

ER-7 (Employee/Employer Relations) – Believes there should be legislative review of existing statutes with a focus towards a more equitable balance of the rights of employers, employees, and organized labor.

SB 45 (Padilla, D) Recycling: beverage containers: tethered plastic caps.

Status: 04/07/2025 – April 7 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

Location: 04/07/2025 – Senate APPR. SUSPENSE FILE

Summary: – Requires plastic beverage container caps to be tethered to bottles starting January 1, 2027. – Exempts certain beverage types (e.g., beer, wine, 100% juice) and large containers (2L+).

Provides temporary compliance delay until 2028 for containers with a recycling rate above 70%.
Introduces a new state recycling mandate with enforcement implications.
GCVCC opposes due to added costs, questionable impact, and lack of flexibility for manufacturers.

Position Request:

OPPOSE – ALREADY SIGNED COALITION LETTER

Platform Citation:

ER-8 (Environmental Regulation) – Encourage participatory and inclusive processes between the regulated community, regulators, and other stakeholders leading to consensus-based rule making and the correction of deficiencies.

SB 250 (Ochoa Bogh, R) Medi-Cal: provider directory: skilled nursing facilities.

Status: 04/07/2025 – April 7 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

Location: 04/07/2025 – Senate APPR. SUSPENSE FILE

Summary: – Adds skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to the Medi-Cal Managed Care provider directory.

Requires SNFs to be listed as a searchable provider type on the Health Care Options website.
Ensures patients and families can more easily find and compare SNF options within their Medi-Cal plan. – Helps streamline access to long-term care facilities for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Supports transparency and navigation within the state’s healthcare delivery system.

Platform Citation:

HC-3 (Health Care) – Support improving healthcare access, affordability, and provider networks in the region.

SB 464 (Smallwood-Cuevas, D) Employer pay data.

Status: 04/10/2025 – From committee with author’s amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.

Location: 03/12/2025 – Senate L., P.E. & R.

Summary: – Expands pay transparency by requiring annual employer pay data reports.

Includes new reporting on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Enables public disclosure and comparative data collection.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

ER-2 (Employee/Employer Relations) – Supports efforts to keep California from further exceeding federal laws for Exempt and non-exempt classifications, FMLA, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) discrimination (e.g., age discrimination, sexual harassment, etc).

SB 555 (Caballero, D) Workers’ compensation: average annual earnings.

Status: 04/10/2025 – Set for hearing April 21.

Location: 04/09/2025 – Senate Appropriations

Summary: – Adjusts workers’ compensation calculations using federal COLA.

Affects compensation for permanent partial disability.

Position Request:

OPPOSE – Coalition Letter already submitted

Platform Citation:

ER-9 (Employee/Employer Relations) – Opposes prevailing and living wage mandates and ordinances.

SB 601 (Allen, D) Water: waste discharge.

Status: 04/10/2025 – Set for hearing April 29.

Location: 04/02/2025 – Senate Judiciary

Summary: – Strengthens regulation of waste discharges to include smaller waterways (‘nexus waters’). – Aligns with federal Clean Water Act protections.

Introduces new permitting and enforcement standards.

Position Request:

OPPOSE – COALITION LETTER ALREADY SUBMITTED

Platform Citation:

W-7 (Water) – Support regulatory frameworks that promote efficient maintenance and management of water resources and infrastructure.

SB 747 (Wiener, D) Wages: behavioral health and medical-surgical employees.

Status: 04/04/2025 – Set for hearing April 23.

Location: 04/02/2025 – Senate L., P.E. & R.

Summary: – Requires large nonprofit health plans and their exclusive medical groups (those with at least 3.5 million enrollees) to report compensation provided to behavioral health and medical-surgical employees to the Department of Industrial Relations.

The Department may: – Seek a court order and recover costs if employers fail to report. – Impose civil penalties of $100–$200 per employee for non-compliance.
Applies to both directly-employed and contracted personnel providing behavioral or medical-surgical care.
Does not create a misdemeanor but enforces compliance through civil penalties.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

SB 789 (Menjivar, D) Vacancy tax: commercial real property.

Status: 04/04/2025 – Set for hearing April 23.

Location: 04/02/2025 – Senate Revenue and Taxation

Summary: – Imposes a $5 per square foot annual tax on long-term vacant commercial spaces (182+ days unused) beginning in 2028.

Exemptions include active renovations, disaster impacts, or regulatory delays.
Revenue funds the California Dream for All Program to support first-time home buyers.

Position Request:

OPPOSE

Platform Citation:

HL-2 (Housing and Land Use) – Support State and local fiscal reform to permit cities and counties to make land use decisions based upon good planning principles, rather than upon potential tax revenue generation or cost of service issues; address funding formulas that are unfair to Riverside County; and establish a nexus between sources of funding and services and programs funded.

News

GCVCC April 2025 Legislative Report